Conventional modern firearm components and magazines, such as double stack magazines, are generally fabricated from metals, such as steel or aluminum, or from thermoplastic polymer composites, such as polypropylene (PP) or nylon, reinforced with other materials to meet specific performance requirements not obtainable from the thermoplastic polymers alone.
Double stack magazines hold and feed two columns of ammunition into a firearm. At the top of a double stack magazine, the dimensions narrow to merge the two columns of ammunition into a single column so as to present a single round of ammunition ready for chambering into the firearm at the feed lips. The merging of the two columns substantially increases the amount of force that must be exerted by the spring against the follower to prevent binding. There is a significant amount of friction between the metal of the casing of the ammunition and the sidewall. In order to reduce this friction and stiffen the side walls to handle the stresses, the sidewalls of conventional double stack magazines incorporate a rib that minimizes the contact area to reduce friction and provides reinforcement. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.